HE WAS SITTING IN A WHEELCHAIR,
LOOKING DOWN AT THE LAWN,
I THOUGHT HE MIGHT BE ASLEEP,
THEN I SAW THE OLD MAN YAWN.
I TOLD HIM I HAD COME TO VISIT,
A BIG SMILE LIT UP HIS FACE,
HE SAID IT'S NOT VERY OFTEN,
PEOPLE VISIT THIS OLD PLACE.
PARDON MY MANNERS YOUNG MAN,
AS HE OFFERED ME A CHAIR,
WOULD YOU LIKE A GLASS OF TEA,
IT'S ON THE TABLE OVER THERE.
I BEGGED OFF THE OFFER,
BUT I SAID I HAVE A SURPRISE,
I'VE COME TAKE YOU TO LODGE,
YOU SHOULD'VE SEEN HIS EYES.
YOU KNOW, I'M A PAST MASTER,
ABOUT THREE OR FOUR TIMES,
HE SAID AS MATTER OF FACT,
I CAN WORK ANY CHAIR IN LINE.
I FELT PROUD TO PUSH HIS CHAIR,
AS WE HEADED FOR MY CAR,
I HAD ALREADY CHECKED HIM OUT,
AND SIGNED HIS PASS CARD.
WHEN WE DROVE INTO THE LOT,
YOU SHOULD'VE HEARD THE CHEERS,
I HAD A LUMP IN MY THROAT,
DOWN HIS CHEEK ROLLED A TEAR.
THE LODGE WAS FILLED WITH BROTHERS,
WHO HAD COME TO CELEBRATE,
OUR GUEST OF HONOR HAD ARRIVED,
THE EASTERN STAR HAD BAKED A CAKE.
WE MADE A SPECIAL PRESENTATION,
THAT BROUGHT LAUGHTER AND TEARS,
FOR TONIGHT OUR WISE OLD MASTER,
HAD COMPLETED SIXTY-FIVE YEARS.
WITH COUNTLESS YEARS OF SERVICE,
IN THIS LODGE IN HIS HOMETOWN,
HE DID IT ALL WITH A GENTLE HEART,
AND THE STRONGEST GRIP AROUND.
HIS TIRED OLD VOICE CRACKED,
BUT HIS MIND WAS SHARP AND CLEAR,
AS HE TOOK THE MICROPHONE,
SITTING THERE IN HIS WHEELCHAIR.
WE ALL SAT DOWN AT TABLES,
WITH HOT COFFEE IN OUR CUPS,
HE SAID I'D LIKE TO TAKE YOU BACK,
TO WHEN I WAS JUST A PUP.
YOU SEE, THERE'S BEEN TIMES,
THIS OLD LODGE ALMOST WENT DARK,
WE WERE DOWN TO JUST A FEW,
AND SOME DIDN'T KNOW THEIR PART.
BUT WE KEPT ON WORKING HARD,
AND DOING EVERYTHING WE COULD,
TO GET MORE MEN INTERESTED,
IN THE CRAFT OF BROTHERHOOD.
OH THERE'S ALL KINDS OF THINGS,
THAT'S CHANGED OVER THE YEARS,
BUT YOUNGER MEN NOT COMING IN,
IS ONE OF OUR BIGGEST FEARS.
YOU SEE, IT WAS DIFFERENT THEN,
THAN IT IS THIS DAY AND TIME,
I REMEMBER HOW STRICT IT WAS,
YOU DIDN'T DARE CROSS THE LINE.
ABOUT ASKING A MAN TO JOIN,
WHEN YOU KNEW HE WAS GOOD,
GOD AND FAMILY CAME FIRST, THIS,
THE LODGE UNDERSTOOD.
WE HAD TO WAIT UNTIL HE ASKED,
ABOUT HOW TO BECOME ONE OF US,
THEN WE COULD TELL HIM THE TRUTH,
ABOUT FELLOWSHIP, HONOR AND TRUST.
WE WORKED HARD AND DID OUR BEST,
TO BE GOOD EXAMPLES AMONG MEN,
WE ALL KNOW FROM READING THE BIBLE,
THERE'S NOT A MAN WITHOUT SIN.
SO WE'D TAKE THE BEST MEN,
AND GENTLY SHOW'EM THE LIGHT,
JUST LOOK AT ALL THE BROTHERS,
THAT SHOWED UP HERE TONIGHT.
IF I COULD LIVE MY LIFE ALL OVER,
AND I COULD REWRITE EVERY PAGE,
I'D HIT A FEW BUMPS A LITTLE SOFTER,
BUT THERE'S NOTHING I WOULD CHANGE.
EACH TIME I WAS ASKED TO TEACH,
OH IT MADE ME FEEL SO GOOD,
TO LEAD YOU GENTLY TO THE LIGHT,
UNTIL I KNEW YOU UNDERSTOOD.
I LOVE YOU ALL MY BROTHERS,
I ENJOYED BEING THERE FOR YOU,
AND I'LL TELL EACH ONE TONIGHT,
YOU'VE BEEN THERE FOR ME TOO.
HE TALKED FOR HALF AN HOUR,
AS WE TRAVELED BACK IN TIME,
HE HAD TAKEN US ON A JOURNEY,
AND WE HUNG ON EVERY LINE.
IT WAS LATE WHEN WE GOT BACK,
BUT HE WAS STILL WIDE AWAKE,
AS I PUSHED HIS WHEELCHAIR INSIDE,
HE GAVE THE NURSE A PIECE OF CAKE.
UNTIL THE OLD MASTER IS CALLED,
TO THE GRAND LODGE ON HIGH,
HIS MEMORIES WILL BE FILLED,
WITH THE CELEBRATION TONIGHT.
A FEW YEARS HAVE COME AND GONE,
SINCE WE HONORED HIM THAT NIGHT,
THE OLD MASTER EVEN HELPED ME,
RAISE MY GRANDSON INTO LIGHT.
HIS KIND AND GENTLE MANNER,
STANDS TALL AMONG THE BEST,
TODAY HE MADE THE FINAL JOURNEY,
WE LAID THE OLD MASTER TO REST.
Ben Steen copyright October 25th 2003
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Friday, February 13, 2009
February 2009 Lodge #45 Newsletter
The Trestle Board
February 17, 2009 – Lecture Practice Session – 6:00 pm Lodge 45
February 24, 2009 – Fellow Craft Degree – Dinner 6pm; Degree 7pm – Lodge 45
February 12, 2009 – Brownsville Lodge – 2 Entered Apprentice Degrees
February 16, 2009 – School of Instruction at St. John Lodge #322
March 2, 2009 – Master Mason Degree – Lodge #322
March 21, 2009 – Master Mason Degree performed by York Rite team – Lodge #322
March 10, 2009 – Jackson Lodge #45 Stated Meeting – Dinner 6pm; Meeting 7pm.
Deceased Brethren
The last three months have seen four of our brothers admitted to the Celestial Lodge above. Please lend your prayers for their families in remembrance of our departed Brethren.
They will be missed.
James T. Williford
Deceased 12/21/2008
Raised 8/16/1952 Lodge #399
Henry Melford Lester
Deceased 1/09/2009
Raised 09/20/1949 Lodge #45
Michael Luther Hopper, Tiler
Deceased 1/25/2009
Raised 1/20/1979 in Unity Lodge #95
Carl Fincher
Deceased 2/1/2009
Raised – 11/25/1958 Lodge #399
From The East:
Brethren,
I hope you are all having a great start to your new year. This is shaping up to be a wonderful year for our lodge. There are a lot of exciting things happening and I would like to take a few minutes and share them with you.
We are going to be having our first Community Service Project for the year at the end of this month. The lodge is working with the Regional Interfaith Association (RIFA) here in Jackson to provide some needed work for their building and the community. This is an organization that wears many hats. They provide food for the hungry through a soup kitchen, they run an education program to help the homeless to find jobs and housing, and have many other great programs.
As speculative masons we are builders of men but I am excited to see our brethren work in operative masonry as well. We will be building shelving, wheelchair ramps, and several other projects with RIFA throughout the year. As the year moves along we will keep you updated as to what is going on so that you may be a part of this project.
The lodge is beginning a series of “Lecture Evenings” where the brethren will be teaching and giving lectures on particular aspects of freemasonry in which they are passionate and well-versed. This will occur one Tuesday a month. This month we will be having two of our Past Masters teaching a class on learning and teaching the ritual. The Worshipful Master will also be giving a class on the prayers of Freemasonry. If you have a subject you would like to present or would like to learn about please give me a call or email me. My email is jmclemore@alumni.lsu.edu .
One of the brothers in the lodge is putting together an order for some nice polo shirts with the Masonic logo and our lodges name. The price is uncertain at this point but we will be taking orders at the March stated meeting so if you would like to place an order please come out to the lodge on March 10th.
I am excited about serving you and serving our lodge. If you ever need a ride to lodge just give me a call a day or two in advance and I will do my best to find you one. I hope and pray that you will have a blessed month and I look forward to seeing you at the lodge.
Fraternally Yours,
Jeff McLemore
February 17, 2009 – Lecture Practice Session – 6:00 pm Lodge 45
February 24, 2009 – Fellow Craft Degree – Dinner 6pm; Degree 7pm – Lodge 45
February 12, 2009 – Brownsville Lodge – 2 Entered Apprentice Degrees
February 16, 2009 – School of Instruction at St. John Lodge #322
March 2, 2009 – Master Mason Degree – Lodge #322
March 21, 2009 – Master Mason Degree performed by York Rite team – Lodge #322
March 10, 2009 – Jackson Lodge #45 Stated Meeting – Dinner 6pm; Meeting 7pm.
Deceased Brethren
The last three months have seen four of our brothers admitted to the Celestial Lodge above. Please lend your prayers for their families in remembrance of our departed Brethren.
They will be missed.
James T. Williford
Deceased 12/21/2008
Raised 8/16/1952 Lodge #399
Henry Melford Lester
Deceased 1/09/2009
Raised 09/20/1949 Lodge #45
Michael Luther Hopper, Tiler
Deceased 1/25/2009
Raised 1/20/1979 in Unity Lodge #95
Carl Fincher
Deceased 2/1/2009
Raised – 11/25/1958 Lodge #399
From The East:
Brethren,
I hope you are all having a great start to your new year. This is shaping up to be a wonderful year for our lodge. There are a lot of exciting things happening and I would like to take a few minutes and share them with you.
We are going to be having our first Community Service Project for the year at the end of this month. The lodge is working with the Regional Interfaith Association (RIFA) here in Jackson to provide some needed work for their building and the community. This is an organization that wears many hats. They provide food for the hungry through a soup kitchen, they run an education program to help the homeless to find jobs and housing, and have many other great programs.
As speculative masons we are builders of men but I am excited to see our brethren work in operative masonry as well. We will be building shelving, wheelchair ramps, and several other projects with RIFA throughout the year. As the year moves along we will keep you updated as to what is going on so that you may be a part of this project.
The lodge is beginning a series of “Lecture Evenings” where the brethren will be teaching and giving lectures on particular aspects of freemasonry in which they are passionate and well-versed. This will occur one Tuesday a month. This month we will be having two of our Past Masters teaching a class on learning and teaching the ritual. The Worshipful Master will also be giving a class on the prayers of Freemasonry. If you have a subject you would like to present or would like to learn about please give me a call or email me. My email is jmclemore@alumni.lsu.edu .
One of the brothers in the lodge is putting together an order for some nice polo shirts with the Masonic logo and our lodges name. The price is uncertain at this point but we will be taking orders at the March stated meeting so if you would like to place an order please come out to the lodge on March 10th.
I am excited about serving you and serving our lodge. If you ever need a ride to lodge just give me a call a day or two in advance and I will do my best to find you one. I hope and pray that you will have a blessed month and I look forward to seeing you at the lodge.
Fraternally Yours,
Jeff McLemore
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